In the digital age, users have an ever-increasing array of applications and services to choose from that may provide new experiences, open up new ways of connecting with others, or help them to organize their lives. While increasing user choices can be empowering, it can also overwhelm or confuse users with irrelevant choices. As applications proliferate, graphical user interfaces to locate, select, and navigate between applications become increasingly important to an improved user experience.
Traditional graphical user interfaces may inadequately address the paradox of choice. For example, a clutter of icons may make locating and selecting a specific icon more difficult. In addition, users may be less likely to discover new applications of potential interest when faced with long lists of choices. Instead, users may adapt to crowded interfaces by habitually ignoring any unfamiliar or never-before used interface elements, potentially representing significant losses in value to the user.
Conversely, updates to a graphical user interface that attempt to shepherd users toward specific applications may confuse and frustrate users, making previously favored applications difficult to find while failing to engage users with new or previously undiscovered options.